


Goodnight, Commander

by Ariadne_Yemoja



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Epilogue of sorts, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-19
Updated: 2013-09-19
Packaged: 2017-12-27 01:14:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/972595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ariadne_Yemoja/pseuds/Ariadne_Yemoja
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of blips in my head that come after ME3</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_The Citadel…  She was on the Citadel.  But it was so eerie quiet.  The lower wards had always been so busy.  She walked over a bridge and found herself standing before Chora’s Den.  She walked into the circular room and sat at the empty bar.  One lone Volus stood behind it cleaning out cups.  She looked around and wondered where the dancers were that were usually separating men from their money by the fistful.  The Volus turned to her and nodded._

_“It’s… a slow… night.” he said in that halting pattern.  His suit hissed as he breathed in.  “Something… I can get you?”  She looked at the bottles behind him and shrugged._

_“Get her an Elasa… I’ll have one too.” said a deep voice behind her.  She turned and smiled at Anderson as he sat on the stool next to her.  “Commander.” he said nodding._

_“Admiral.”  They sat in silence while the Volus mixed the drinks._

_“He’s not coming you know.” The Admiral said pointedly.  She turned to him frowning._

_“Who?”_

_“The person you’re waiting on.”  She paused for a long time and tried to call a memory, any memory, to mind.  She saw embraces in the dark; the feeling of hard scale like skin against hot human flesh.  She frowned and wished that drink would hurry.  “There’s still time.  You don’t have to stay.” Anderson whispered.  She wondered if she should head back down to the dock.  Did she want to get back on the Normandy?  She really wanted that drink.  She knew if she drank it, none of this would matter._

_“If I go down are you coming with me?” she asked.  Anderson laughed._

_“I don’t think so, Shepard.  I’ve done all I’ve needed to do.”  The Volus placed the whiskey glasses in front of them and turned to the other two customers walking in.  Mordin and Thane took seats at the bar on her other side.  Mordin examined the bottles and smiled._

_“Whiskey sour…” he said quickly.  He turned to her grinning.  “Have fondness for human liquor.  Different.  Salarian liquor usually sweet.  Most Human liquor have underlying bitterness.”  She smiled at the scientist.  Thane shook his head as the Volus turned to him._

_“Nothing for me, thank you.”_

_“So, what are you waiting on?  Will you stay?  Can help with sea shell experiment.” Mordin said thoughtfully.  She didn’t know what to say.  She looked down at the drink in front of her and was suddenly afraid to take it._

_“You are starting to understand.” Thane said.  “Kalihira is not ready to take you across the sea, Commander.  She will welcome you, but you do not have to go yet.”  She only stared down at her drink.  Anderson sipped his and sighed sadly._

_“He’s waiting for you on the ship, Commander.”  Tears spilled down her face as she pushed the drink away.  She headed for the door of Chora’s Den pausing only to look back at her friends.  Anderson and Mordin raised their drinks; the former solemnly, and the latter cheerfully.  Thane bowed with a soft smile.  “Good night, Commander.” Anderson called.  She nodded and walked out._


	2. Chapter 2

            Slow shallow breaths; gulps and gasps… Each one more painful than the last…  Green eyes fluttered open and stared up at stars.  Hot tears spilled down her mahogany face.  She was supposed to be dead right now.  Now she was alive and she had to think about what she had just done.  The Catalyst had said if she destroyed the reapers all AI would be destroyed.  The Geth, and EDI… Gone.  Anderson…  Somewhere Admiral Anderson’s body was perched looking out at Earth.  The tears wouldn’t stop coming.  She tried to move and a wave of pain crashed on top of her causing her to cry out, scream, into the void.  Breathing was becoming more and more difficult.  Was she dying?  Well that was fine.  What was one more life in the end?  She didn’t even think she would be much help after all this any way.  Let others repair the galaxy.  Let them rebuild; she would sleep. 

The humming of the station died.  That meant there would be no more air.  She wondered how much was left, how long it would take for her lungs to burn.  Somewhere something rattled.  She assumed it was the Citadel.  There was a scratchy sound in her ear.  A buzzing…  Her radio was working.  She could just call out to the ships.  One of them could still be nearby.  No they would have jumped to FTL to get as far away from the blast radius.  Her body was becoming numb now.  She wondered if she could move enough to get the rubble out of her back.  An attempt at lifting her shoulder brought on another scream and a fresh round of burning pain. 

 _At least I’ll be in good company._   She thought.  _It will be one hell of a party._   She smiled and the split on her lip opened.  Blood trickled down her cheek slowly.  Her chest was hurting.  Was she running out of air now?  Good, the sooner this was over the better.  She was so tired.  The static was getting louder in her ear and she wished she could reach up and shut it off. 

She closed her eyes shutting out the stars and wondered whether or not the other members of her crew made it okay.  Joker must have been heartbroken if EDI was actually dead.  She toyed with the thought that the Catalyst could have lied to her in order to preserve itself.  She liked that thought.  Because that meant the EDI and the Geth were there to help rebuild.  The radio was crackling and hissing again.  And then it was silent like it had found something.  She opened her eyes and stared out.  She could see broken ships and dead reapers.  Every now and then she could spot the body of a fellow soldier; Turians, Asari, even Quarians.  A Solarian floated by now, body limp.  She wished she knew his name.  She hoped someone would come for him so he could go back to his family.  She closed her eyes and wondered who they would send her body to.  She had no family anymore.  She wondered if she would be buried on Mindoir. 

“This is the SSV Normandy if there are any survivors please respond!” Joker…  Was that really him?  No.  She didn’t want it to be him.  She wanted to die here with Anderson.  Just let her die.  “I repeat; this is the SSV Normandy, if there are any survivors please respond!”  It really was him.  Her radio crackled over his voice as he called out over and over desperately.  How long had she been laying there?  How long had she been clinging to life.  She hadn’t thought about it when she first opened her eyes but the dryness of her mouth and the swelling of her tongue told her she had been there awhile.

“Please Commander…” the voice of her pilot pleaded.  So they were there to look for her specifically.  The tears began to spill again.

“Joker I don’t think she’s going to answer…” Someone said softly.  She could just make out his flanging voice over the radio.  _Garrus…_  

“This… is…” she started without thinking.  Her voice was like walking on autumn leaves; brittle, dry.  Joker sent out his call again.  They couldn’t hear her.  Maybe it was better they couldn’t.  Could she really live any kind of life after all this; even with Garrus?  Her hand tried to close and another wave of pain washed over her making her scream.  They heard that.

“Commander is that you?!” Joker cried.  Silence…  “Commander we are sending someone in for you.  God I hope that’s you.”  She closed her eyes against the pain and tried one more time to find her voice.

“I… don’t think… I have… much time…” she gasped out.  “Leave me…”

“Yeah, not going to happen, Commander.  If you’re going to die, you’re at least going to do it with family.” he said.  _With family…_   It took a moment to realize he meant the crew.  “Garrus and Ashley are on their way, Commander.  Please hang on.”  She couldn’t hold back the question anymore.

“EDI…?” she gasped.  Silence; heavy silence.  It said so much. 

“It’s… not your fault Commander.” Joker whispered.  “You did what you had to do.  She understood.”  She was so tired.  Somewhere she could hear something exploding.  Williams was never really subtle. 

“Running… out… of air.” she whispered.

“Hang on.  I’ve narrowed in on where you are.  They are close.”  She was finding it harder to keep her eyes open.  Another explosion; this one was closer louder.  Why wouldn’t they just let her go?

“Gen!”  Garrus called.  It came from below.  They must have breached the hull somewhere close to get to her.  _Garrus…_   She thought about when they said goodbye before the mission.  It was so hard to breathe; so hard to focus.  Joker was talking in her ear but she couldn’t understand what he was saying.  Another explosion this one was deafening.  Booted feet, she couldn’t tell how many.  It didn’t matter.  Silence…

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know what this is but enjoy. I will change the tags as needed.


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